After Chat With Drew Brees, Tears From Hoda

On Thursday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees made a big announcement: He and his wife, Brittany, would be donating $5 million to the state of Louisiana to help its citizens get through the coronavirus pandemic. The next day, he chatted with Hoda Kotb on the Today show about his gift, and their conversation sent Kotb over an emotional edge. "A lot of things are contagious, including generosity," Kotb told Brees before telling him "we love ya!" and ending their talk. But as the camera turned off on Brees and focused solely on Kotb, the show's 55-year-old co-host started segueing into the next part of her segment, then suddenly choked up.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, as she rustled papers in front of her and broke down, trying to compose herself. A second camera then piped in Savannah Guthrie, who tried to soothe her colleague. "I know, it's a lot," Guthrie said, as Kotb continued to apologize. "I know where your heart is, my dear." Guthrie then volunteered to read the "tease" for the next segment for Kotb, who replied, "Yes, please!" as she sobbed. The camera then cut away from Kotb, with Guthrie telling her audience: "Deep breaths." People notes Kotb's deep ties to Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, where she worked for WWL-TV for six years in the '90s. After the clip, the Today show's Twitter feed sent out a sympathetic tweet to Kotb: "We love you, Hoda," complete with a heart emoji. Kotb's full interview with Brees is here. (More Hoda Kotb stories.)